Chapter 22: Chapter 22: I Don’t Want to Share a Man with Others

Cecilia Croft stared coldly at the man before her, making no attempt to hide her disgust.

"I don’t want to."

Jude Sheridan was chilled to the bone by her unfamiliar gaze. He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pinned her beneath him.

"This isn’t the time to be mad at me, is it? Don’t I know your body? You’re clearly..."

Before he could finish, Cecilia Croft cut him off with a slap to the face.

The sharp crack of the slap echoed, exceptionally loud in the empty room.

Jude Sheridan ran his tongue along the inside of his slapped cheek, his gaze turning vicious.

He lunged down, forcing a predatory kiss on her.

Cecilia Croft clamped her mouth shut.

Jude Sheridan raised a hand and gripped her jaw, forcing her mouth open.

Her own temper flaring, Cecilia bit down hard the moment his tongue entered her mouth.

In an instant, the thick, metallic taste of blood spread through her mouth.

Jude yelped in pain and let her go.

Cecilia snatched a nearby glass of water, took a large mouthful, swished it around, and spat it into the trash can.

Disgust was written all over her face.

Clenching his jaw, Jude started to move toward her again.

Consumed by rage, Cecilia acted without thinking, smashing the water glass she was holding against Jude Sheridan’s head as she snarled.

"Are you sure you want to force yourself on me in my grandmother’s house?"

Jude was stunned by the blow. The spot on his forehead where the glass hit throbbed with pain, and any trace of his earlier arousal vanished completely.

He stared at Cecilia Croft, stunned. He never imagined she would actually bring herself to hit him with an object.

Cecilia’s eyes held nothing but disgust. "Go find some other woman. Stay away from me."

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head; Jude sobered up instantly.

With a dark expression, he abruptly got off the bed and walked out of the bedroom.

At the bedroom door, he stopped and turned to look at Cecilia Croft.

"Are you sure you want to push me away right now?"

Cecilia sneered, "A dog that eats shit will never stop, and a cat that loves to sneak out can never be caged. Since you’re already eating shit, why bother acting clean in front of me?"

Jude’s dark expression faltered. He stared at Cecilia, his gaze turning searching, a knot of panic tightening in his chest.

He took a deep breath, swallowing his anger.

"Cecilia, what nonsense are you spouting now?"

"Get out!" Cecilia had no desire to listen to his lies and lay back down on the bed.

Seeing her complete lack of respect, Jude’s face darkened, and he quickly strode out the door.

He stopped after just a few steps, a sudden, baseless panic seizing him. He worried that if he just left, he would lose any chance of reconciling with Cecilia Croft.

He still knew what was truly important.

Cecilia closed her eyes again, lying on the bed. She couldn’t hear the sound of a car engine starting outside, and the living room light was still on. She couldn’t rest easy.

After about fifteen minutes, Cecilia got up with a grim look on her face and walked out of the bedroom.

Jude Sheridan was sitting on the living room sofa, smoking.

Seeing her come out, Jude quickly stubbed out his cigarette, the restlessness in his eyes fading considerably.

"I’m coming in."

He assumed she was offering him an olive branch, just like she always did after their fights.

However, Cecilia didn’t even glance at him. She just reached up and pressed the light switch, turning off the lights before heading back to her room and shutting the door behind her.

The living room went dark.

Jude Sheridan, left in the darkness, could only smile wryly.

’She still loves throwing these little fits. I’ll just have to go and placate her.’

He felt his way to the door in the dark, placed his hand on the handle, and tried to open it as he normally would, only to find the handle wouldn’t budge at all.

Cecilia Croft had locked the door from the inside.

Jude sighed, forcing patience into his tone as he spoke softly.

"Cecilia, don’t be mad. Open up."

Cecilia ignored him.

Jude continued to wheedle her in a soft voice.

She remained silent.

After a few minutes, Jude’s patience ran out.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll wake up Grandma?"

This time, she finally responded from inside.

"Then go ahead and shout."

’In fact, I hope he does wake Grandma up.’

Jude was furious, but he didn’t dare make a scene.

’Although Cecilia’s grandmother seemed to like me, she would never take my side. If I woke her, she’d only blame me for upsetting her precious granddaughter. A few years ago, we had fought over the company’s direction and some issues involving my mother, nearly breaking up over it. In a fit of pique, Cecilia had moved back here. I tried to win her back for a long time to no avail and finally had to ask her grandmother for help. But her grandmother, who was normally so kind to me, had been stone-faced. She had stated bluntly that Cecilia was only dating me; she hadn’t married into the Sheridan Family. If she wanted to break up, move out, or go anywhere else, that was her business and had nothing to do with me. She hadn’t tried to mediate. In fact, she supported every decision Cecilia made. In the end, I was the one who had to compromise. The company moved forward with her plan, and my mother, not wanting to make things difficult for me, went back to her hometown.’

Jude stood outside Cecilia’s bedroom door for half an hour, whispering softly, trying to placate her.

But she remained completely unmoved.

Jude had no choice but to give up and went to lie down on the living room sofa.

The sofa was old, shabby, and cramped. To make matters worse, it started to rain during the night.

Curled up on the narrow sofa, Jude shivered all night and, predictably, caught a cold.

When Cecilia Croft got up, Jude Sheridan was still lying on the sofa.

He looked utterly drained, his cheeks flushed with an unhealthy red. It was obvious he had a fever.

A spark of hope ignited in Jude’s eyes when he saw Cecilia emerge. He let out a few violent coughs, playing up his weakness.

’In the past, Cecilia could never stand to see me sick or in pain. She would always rush to my side to dote on me.’

But today, Cecilia just glanced at him once before turning and going into the kitchen.

The hopeful light in Jude’s eyes faded. He could only console himself with a thought: ’She must be going to boil some water for me to take medicine.’

He waited patiently for about ten minutes. Cecilia finally came out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of steaming hot egg noodles.

Jude’s heart instantly warmed.

’She really does still care about me. She knew I didn’t eat last night, so she’s making me noodles first to put something in my stomach.’

He propped up his weak body and got up from the sofa, only to see Cecilia pull out a chair, sit down, and start eating by herself.

Jude’s expression stiffened, and he sat frozen on the sofa.

"You didn’t make any for me?"

Cecilia barely glanced up, as if only just noticing his existence. She shook her head and answered bluntly.

"No."

Jude’s face fell instantly.

Indifferent to his mood, Cecilia lowered her head and continued eating.

His face cold, Jude walked over, pulled out the chair opposite Cecilia, and sat down. His voice was icy as he spoke.

"Leave some for me."

Cecilia looked at the man across from her and instantly lost her appetite. She put down her chopsticks.

Jude reached for the bowl, but she was quicker. She lifted it and poured the remaining noodles into the trash can beside her.

"Sorry," Cecilia said. "I don’t like sharing food from the same bowl."

’And I don’t like sharing a man, either.’